1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical device and more particularly to a support for securing a flexible tubing inserted into the nasal passage of a patient, for preventing the disconnection of the tubing during surgery and for avoiding the formation of a kink in the flexible tubing that could obstruct the conduit therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of medical interventions require that the patient be provided with at least one tube which passes directly through his nasal conduits and into his throat, in order to provide different drugs and gases to the lungs of the patient. This nasotracheal tube must be secured such as to prevent it from falling out or from being pulled out of position.
A number of reasons warrant that utmost care be given to the secure positioning of the nasotracheal tube. For instance the naso-tracheal tube may be used by the anesthetist to provide the anesthetic to the patient. It is important that the naso-tracheal tube be securely positioned so that the content thereof be delivered to the respiratory system and not to the digestive tract as this could have life-threatening implications.
The upper portion of the face of the patient is generally covered by a sterile sheet making it difficult to assess how securely positioned the naso-tracheal tube might be at any time during the medical intervention.
Furthermore, dislodging of the nasotracheal tube can lead to injuries of the nasal conduit of the patient.
Since a number of medical interventions require that the tube or tubes be held in position for a relatively long time, it is important that the naso-tracheal tube positioning device be as stable and as comfortable as possible throughout the duration of the medical procedure.
Due to the flexible nature of the nasotracheal tube, upon bending, the tube might kink. Such a kink can obstruct or impede the flow of the contents within the tube, resulting in a release of the tube from the nasal conduit or rendering the tube ineffective in delivering the contents.
Conventionally, adhesive tape is used to secure the position of tubes, whether naso-tracheal tubes or catheters. For such tubes, the tape is placed either on the nose or the upper lip of the patient. The disadvantages of securing a tube with tape is clearly apparent. First, adhesive tape of good quality, when applied to the skin surface strongly adheres thereto and can thus cause discomfort when removed. Moreover, perspiration by the patient can contribute to the tape's inefficiency. Additionally, the region of contact between the adhesive tape and the tubing is limited, making it difficult to securely position the tube. For these and other reasons, a number of devices have been developed in an attempt to provide a relatively secure positioning of nasal tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,245,969, by Francisco et al., discloses a nasal inhaler device which is similar to a pair of spectacles in that two temple portions are hooked to the patient ears while the front portion rests on the patient nose. The nasal tubes appear to be rigid or semi-rigid in this arrangement. By its design, this nasal inhaler is subject to relative instability since it is not sufficiently securely positioned. More importantly, the small surface on which the front portion of the device rests is likely to provide discomfort to the patient because of pressure sores or irritation.
The oxygen insufflation device of Koch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,067, is also a spectacle-like device, and presents the similar disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,818, by Palfy, was designed to provide a more comfortable and safer means of securing nasal tubes. Palfy provides a harness with a head attachment loop and a central tube holder which rests below the nose, in the vicinity of the upper lip. The device of Palfy is a relatively complex construction with numerous adjustable parts. Its greatest disadvantage however, lies in its positioning in the close proximity to the mouth area, a fact that could be of utmost importance during a medical intervention in the area of the mouth.
The adjustable head attachment device of Hawkins, U.S. Pat. No. 2,259,817, shows a device that keeps the mouth area unhindered, thus overcoming the disadvantage of the Palfy device. However, the Hawkins head attachment device appears to be based on the use of solid or semi-solid tubing with nozzles that just superficially enter the nostrils of the patient. The Hawkins device does not appear suitable to the use of flexible tubing of the type which can pass through the nasal conduit into the patient's throat, since Hawkins does not suggest a way as to avoid a kink in flexible tubing that might impede or occlude the passage of the content thereof.